High-temperature catalysts for the production of α-olefins based on Iron(II) and Iron(III) tridentate Bis(imino)pyridine complexes with double pattern of substitution : ortho-methyl plus meta-aryl

Four types of bis(imino)pyridine ligands and their corresponding Fe complexes with the same meta-aryl pattern were synthesized for high-temperature α-olefin production (A:  9 and 13; B:  18, 19, 20 and 21, 22, 23, 24; C:  27 and 30; and D: 33 and 34). Pattern A (9 and 13) consists of four meta-aryl groups without ortho-methyls. The coordination of FeCl2 with the ligand [3,5-bis(4-F-Ph)2-Ph-NC(Me)-Py-C(Me)N-Ph-3,5-bis(4-F-Ph)2] (9) of type A resulted in the isolation of ion-paired complexes [L2Fe]2+FeCl42- 13. Coordination of ligands 18, 19, and 20 of pattern B with two meta-aryl groups on the same side with two ortho-methyls of the imino aryl group afforded the following 1:1 complexes:  [{3-(4-F-Ph)-2-Me-Ph-NC(Me)-Py-C(Me)N-Ph-2-Me-3-(4-F-Ph)}FeCl2] (21), [{3-(3,5-bis-(CF3)2-Ph)-2-Me-Ph-NC(Me)-Py-C(Me)N-Ph-2-Me-3-(3,5-bis-(CF3)2-Ph)}FeCl2] (22), [{3-(3-Me-thiophene-2-yl)-2-Me-Ph-NC(Me)-Py-C(Me)N-Ph-2-Me-3-(3-Me-thiophene-2-yl)}FeCl2] (23), and [{3-(3,5-bis-(CF3)2-Ph)-2-Me-Ph-NC(Me)-Py-C(Me)N-Ph-2-Me-3-(3,...